A Policy Study of the Emergence of a Joint Interdisciplinary School A Dissertation Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Educational Administration University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK by Vicki Lynn Squires © Copyright Vicki Squires, January 2010. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professors who supervised my dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my dissertation work was done. It is understood that any copy or publication or use of this dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Educational Administration University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X1 i TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE ................................................................................................................. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. ii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... x ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER ONE: THE NATURE OF THE STUDY ............................................................... 1 Background to the Study ................................................................................................................. 2 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................................... 5 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................................ 5 Parameters of the Study .................................................................................................................. 8 Assumptions ............................................................................................................................... 8 Delimitations .............................................................................................................................. 8 Limitations ................................................................................................................................. 9 Definitions ................................................................................................................................ 10 Isomorphism ........................................................................................................................ 10 Institutional change ............................................................................................................. 10 Institutional formation .................................................................................................... 10 Institutional development (or elaboration) ..................................................................... 10 Deinstitutionalization ..................................................................................................... 10 Reinstitutionalization ...................................................................................................... 11 Policy ................................................................................................................................... 11 Public policy ........................................................................................................................ 11 Stakeholders and actors ....................................................................................................... 11 Policy community ................................................................................................................ 12 Policy networks ................................................................................................................... 12 Policy analysis ..................................................................................................................... 12 Problem stream .................................................................................................................... 12 Policy stream ....................................................................................................................... 12 ii Political stream .................................................................................................................... 13 Policy change and policy windows ..................................................................................... 13 First-order change ................................................................................................................ 13 Second-order change ........................................................................................................... 13 The Researcher.............................................................................................................................. 13 Organization of the Dissertation ................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE .................................... 16 The Historical Context of Higher Education in Canada ............................................................... 16 The Current Political and Social Context in Education ................................................................ 19 Marketization of Education........................................................................................................... 23 The Changing Nature of Today’s Postsecondary Students........................................................... 26 Institutions and Institutionalization............................................................................................... 29 The Old Institutionalism ............................................................................................................... 30 The New Institutionalism or Neoinstitutionalism ......................................................................... 30 Comparison of the Two Theories ................................................................................................. 32 Three Disciplines or Types of Neoinstitutionalism ...................................................................... 34 Historical Institutionalism ........................................................................................................ 34 Economic or Rational Choice Institutionalism ........................................................................ 35 Sociological Institutionalism .................................................................................................... 36 Three Types of Institutional Isomorphism .................................................................................... 38 Forms of Institutional Change ...................................................................................................... 40 Institutionalism and Educational Settings ..................................................................................... 42 Directions for Future Research in Institutional Theory ................................................................ 45 Suggestions for Research in the Canadian Context ................................................................. 47 Synthesis of the Literature Review ............................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER THREE: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................ 52 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 52 Policy and Public Policy ............................................................................................................... 53 Policy Analysis and Policy Analysis Models ............................................................................... 54 Organizational Problem and Policy Origin ................................................................................... 61 Organizational Response and Policy Adoption ............................................................................ 65 iii Channels of Change and Policy Implementation .......................................................................... 68 Required Level of Agency ......................................................................................................